New Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations Coming in the New Year

Opening to 300-foot + depth range is a game changer.  A little easier to hit those depths here in the Monterey Bay.

I don't plan on really fishing that deep. Just looking to get out to those depths and hopefully find some nice fish suspended. Well, that's the plan

Those poor halibut are going to get hammered next year.

When I fish for halibut, I usually just use 1 rod—in case I catch a nice RF or lingcod—and if it’s salmon season, I even try to keep my setup salmon-legal. But, if RF and lingcod are closed (and it looks like salmon season might vanish too), then there’s no reason to use 1 rod. So, I might go “porcupine mode” and use as many rods as I can handle, which is 4 for me. That might increase my halibut catch, and it will certainly increase my ground fish bycatch.

I wonder if this sort of thing has been anticipated under the new-and-unimproved regs…

Those poor halibut are going to get hammered next year.

When I fish for halibut, I usually just use 1 rod—in case I catch a nice RF or lingcod—and if it’s salmon season, I even try to keep my setup salmon-legal. But, if RF and lingcod are closed (and it looks like salmon season might vanish too), then there’s no reason to use 1 rod. So, I might go “porcupine mode” and use as many rods as I can handle, which is 4 for me. That might increase my halibut catch, and it will certainly increase my ground fish bycatch.

I wonder if this sort of thing has been anticipated under the new-and-unimproved regs…

Porcupine mode halibut hunting does seem to be the logical ocean conclusion until rockfish opens. Two rods max for me, but it would be a sight to see you flying four. One of the four could be for generating live baits to feed the others.

Anglers will need to identify rockfish species they catch, and beginning in 2023, be able to determine if the fish is categorized as a nearshore, shelf or slope rockfish species, as different seasons and depths apply to each category depending on the Groundfish Management Area and month.

This is what is going to make this a shit show for new anglers for certain.  It's too complicated and there are going to be a bunch of mistakes and fines handed out fore people not understanding the rules are different in different locations.  If you watch videos of SoCal rockfishing they are fishing deep but still catching nearshore fish, but they aren't restricted on depth or species.

This page has the best links for specific ares that I've come across, but please do share if you know of a less confusing one: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary

Porcupine mode halibut hunting does seem to be the logical ocean conclusion until rockfish opens. Two rods max for me, but it would be a sight to see you flying four. One of the four could be for generating live baits to feed the others.

There is one person on this forum who is famous for fishing 5 rods simultaneously...